Engineer&#39;s brake-valve.



No. 806,455. PATENTED DEC. 5, 1905.

v H. F. BIOKEL.

E'NG INEERS BRAKE VALVE.

I APPLICATION FILED APR. 10,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

PATENTED DEC. 5, 1905.

HQF. BIOKEL.

ENGINEERS BRAKE VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.10,1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE. HENRY BIOKEL, OF PLAINRIELD, NEW JERSEY, kssieNoR TO NEW YoRK AIR BRAKE COMPANY, A coRPoRAT1oN OF N W JERSEY.

ENGINEERS BRAKE-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1905.

Application filed April 10, 1905. Serial No. 254,787.

' gineers Brake-Valves, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to the appliances operated by or under, the control of the engineer for controlling the brakes of an automatic system.

The invention is shown as employed in connection with an engineersbrake-valve of the character of that shown in Letters Patent to Vaughanland McKee, No. 504,290, dated August 29, 1893, and in patent to Robert C. Augur and Henry G. Bickel, No. 725,020, dated April 14, 1903, to which reference may be had, although the invention is applicable in whole or in part to engineers valves of other constructions. The type of engineerfs valve shown in. said patents to illustrate a practical embodiment of the presentinvention is characterized by a cut ofi. valve for closing the escape-passage through which the train-pipe air is permitted to escape in the operation of applying the brakes, which cutoff valve is operated by a piston subjected to train-pipe pressure upon one side and upon the other side to'the pressure of adeterminate quantity of air which normally is under pressure equal to that of the train-pipe, and which when the train-pipe pressure is reducedmoves the piston and causes the cut-ofi valve to be operated to close the train-pipeescape when the train-pipe pressure has been reduced the desired amount. The opening of thetrainpipe escape-passage in engineers valves of this type is elfected by the movement of a hand-operated valve and opens an escape-passage of definite size which is subsequently closed gradually by the automatically-operated cut-off valve. The escape-passage thus opened in response to the manual act of the engineer is of a size determined in the construction of the valve and is made small in order to avoid danger of making too sudden a reduction in train-pipe pressure when said passage is opened, since if the reduction in train-pipe pressure is made too suddenly an emergency'application of the brakes may be produced when only a moderate service application is desired. With the said train-pipe escape-passage made small enough to avoid danger of causing an emergency application of the brakes on a short train it will not reduce the train-pipe pressure sufficiently rapidly to effect a prompt service application of the brakes on a long train, because of the greater capacity of the train-pipe to be vented, and in the case of a very long train the reduction on one or more cars at the rear of' the train mined time an additional vent for escape of.

air from the train-pipe, so as to accelerate the reduction of train-pipe pressure, although by reason of the capacity of the train-pipe on a long train it'will not reduce the train-pipe pressure with suflicient rapidity to cause an emergency application of the brakes to be made.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an engineers brake-valve provided with an acceleratingvalve in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on line m Fig. 3, of the engineers brake-valve, illustrating the application of the present invention thereto. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the brake-valve on line m Fig. 2, and of the accelerating-valve and its appurtenances for affording an additional train-pipe vent in accordance with the present invention when the train is long. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the valve-seat of the engineers valve, and Fig. 5 is an underneath plan showing the seatingface of the hand-operated valve of the engineers valve. 5

The main portion of the engineers valve is shown as of the same construction as that forming the subject-of patent to Augur aLpd Bickel, No. 725,020, to which referencemay be had fora full understanding of the construction and mode of operation of the valve, if desired.

For an understanding of the present case it is sufiicient to point out that the various operations of admitting air to the train-pipe and exhausting it therefrom for the purpose of controlling the brakes are produced by the main hand-operated slide-valve a, which works 1n a chamber f, supplied with compressed air from the main reservoir on the locomotive. said valve working on a seat over an opening 9, communicating with a chamber below the valve, which is connected directly by passage d with the train-pipe (Z of an automatic airbrake system, which may be of the well-known construction such as commonly used on steamrailroads in the United States. The movement of the slide-valve a by the engineer for pplying the brakes establishes communication from the train-pipe through said opening g and passage 0* in the face of the valve and passage (0 in the body of the valve to another passage (5 in the face of the valve which is by the same movement placed in communication with the exhaust-passage 6, leading to the atmosphere, the result being that when the valve ais moved by the handle 6, Fig. 1, a certain distance toward the right from the position shown in Fig. 2 air is permitted to escape from the train-pipe through theopening in the valve-seat and the passagesa' a a in the valve and the exhaust-passage z'to the atmosphere. The escape of air from the train-pipe which is thus brought about by the movement of the slide-valve 66 is automatically stopped after the desired reduction in train-pipe pres sure, the said stopping of the escape of air being eflected by the cut-ofi' valve in, working on the seating-face of the valve and closing the opening a said cut-off valve being operated. by a piston it, subjected on one side to train-pipe pressure and on the other side to the pressure of a confined body of air in the small reservoir m, Fig. 1. The capacity of the train-pipe-disCharge passage to employed for thus discharging the train-pipe air for making service applications of the brakes and of the corresponding dischargepassage in other constructions of engineers valve is made small in order that the reduction in train-pipe pressure when said passage is open may not be rapid enough on short trains, where the train-pipe capacity is relatively small, to cause an emergency application of the brakes to be made. When made of such capacity, the reduetion in train-pipe pressure on long trains is relatively slow on account of the greater capacity of the train pipe and when, for example, the trains are of greater length than an ordinary passenger-trainas, for example, in long freight trainsthe reduction in trainpipe pressure may be made too slowly to meet the requirements of an effective service application of the brakes, possibly rendering it necessary for the engineer to resort to an emerency application when a service application, if it could be more promptly made, would be sufficient and more suitable for the conditions under which the train is being stopped.

accelerating-valve is provided which is under control of the engineers valve and also is controlled in its operation by the rate or rapidity of reduction in train -pipe pressure, being caused to operate to open an additional escapepassage from the train-pipe only when the reduction in train pipe pressure through the usual discharge-passage a in the engineers valve is slower than is necessary to avoid danger of an unintentional emergency application of the brakesas, for example, on trains of greater length than ten cars. The said accelerating-valve comprises a valve proper, 20,

shown as ot'the puppet type, though it may be of other well-known types, and working on a seat in a chamber or casing 21, which may be applied at any point in the air-brake system where connection maybe had with the train-pi pe (Z and with the engineers valve and is preferably located in proximity to the engineers valve, or it may be, if desired, incorp'orated in the actual structure of the engineers valve.

The space in the chamber 21 below valve 20 communicates by passage 22 with the trainpipe (Z the train-pipe pressure thus acting upon the valve 20 with a tendency to press the latter to its seat. The stem 23 of the accelerating-valve :20 passes through a dischargepassage 24, leading from the seat of the valve 20, and is connected with a piston 25, working in a cylinder connected by passage 26 to a port 27 (see Fig. at) in the seat of the main slide-valve a of the engineers valve. The space below the piston 25 is provided with an escape-passage 28 to the atmosphere, and the piston has a relatively small passage 29 through or around it, afi'ording communication from the space in the cylinder connected by passage 26 with the engineers valve to the side of the piston which is in communication with the atmosphere through the relatively large opening 28.

The passage 27 in the seat of the hand-operated valve (6 of the engineers valve has a groove or port-opening extending lengthwise of the seat in the direction of movement of the slide-valve (6 and of such length as to be in connection with an opening 30 in the face 01. the valve (0 (see Fig. in all oi. the positions of said valve occupied in making a service application of the brakes, said opening 30 being, however, out of register or communication with the port 27 and blanked by the valveseat in the other positions of the slide-valve commonly known as release position, running position, lap position, and emergency position.

The opening 30 in the face of the valve communicates by a passage formed in the valve with an opening 31 through the face of the valve adjacent to the opening or passage (0 through which train-pipe air escapes in making service applications of the brakes, the said opening 31 being in approximately the same working relation' to the cut-01f valve k as the said service escape-passage a. In other words, the operation of the main valve a of the engineers valve, which causes the train-' pipe escape-passage a to be opened, also causes the port 31 to be placed in communication-with the train-pipe air in the space below the valve-seat and permits train-pipe air to flow to the ports 30 27 and thence to the passage 26 into the chamber or cylinder of the piston 25, connected with the accelerating-valve 20, so as to act upon the said piston in a direction to open the valve 20 in opposi tion to train-pipe pressure exerted thereon.

The size of the passage 31 30 27 26, leading to the piston-chamber, and the capacity of said piston-chamber, which may be conveniently increased by a reservoir or chamber 35, communicating therewith, at any'convenient point, is such as to require a predetermined interval of time before the'pressure on the piston 25 becomes suflicient to overcome that upon the valve 20 and to cause the latter to open. Consequently, on comparatively short trains Where the train-pipe pressure escaping through the passage 6% falls rapidly, the cutofl valve is will be operated to close both the escape-passage from the train-pipe and the passage 31 30 27 26, leading to the accelerating-valve piston, before the said acceleratingvalve has been opened, and consequently the said accelerating-valve will not be operated at all. If, however, the train-pipe pressure falls at a relatively slow rate, as on a long train, the pressure acting on the piston 25 will become sufiicient to overcome the train-pipe pressure on the valve 20 and to open the latter, thus permitting train-pipe air to escape also past the said valve 20 and its stem 23, through the escape-passage 28, to the atmosphere." This additional escape of train-pipe air will thus accelerate the fall in train-pipe pressure; but the escape at a will be closed by the cut-off valve whenthe desired pres sure reduction, determined by the amount of movement of the valve on toward the right, has been attained, and at the same time further admission of train-pipe air to act uponthe piston 25 will be also out off by the cutoif valve In closing the port 31, and the confined air acting upon the piston 25 will soon escape through the passage 29, thus permitting the accelerating-valve 20 to close gradually at about the same time that the normal train-pipe escape-passage a is closed by the cut-ofi valve is.

The accelerating-valve 20 is shown as acted upon by aspring 32, tending to close the same,

and obviously if the construction of the accombined withan enginee'rs valve of a known.

control produced by the engineers valve in any way, while, on the other hand, if the trains are of such length as to render the more rapid escape of air desirable the accelerating-valve is-called into action and affords the desired increase in the rate of reduction of trainpipe pressure.

The mode of operation of an accelerating:

valve, in combination with an engineers valve, as herein described, to open an additional discharge-passage from the train-pipe after a certain period of discharge of train-pipe air through the engineers valve in the usual manner is of great advantage, as it causes the brakes to be applied moderately at the head of a long train at the beginning of the. operation, while train-pipe air is discharging only through the engineersvalve, and thereafter causes the brakes to be applied more rapidly and forcibly throughout the train when the additional vent from the train-pipe is afforded 'by the opening of the'accelerating valve.

through the engineers valve, substantially as described. 1

2. The combination with an engineers valve ofan automaticair-brake system having instrumentalities for controlling the escape of air from the train-pipe, and an automaticallyoperating valve to close the train-pipe-air-escape passage; of an accelerating-valve controlling an additional escape-passage from the train-pipe; and an actuating-piston therefor subjected to'pressure from the main pipe through a passage controlled by the said au-" ing instrumentalities for controlling the esmunication from one to the other side of said cape of air from the train-pipe, of an accelerpiston, substantially as and for the purpose ating-valve controlling an additional escapedescribed. passage from the train-pipe; an actuating-pis- In testimony whereofl have signed my name 5 ton for said accelerating-valve Working in a to this specification in the presence of two sub- 5 chamber open to the atmosphere at one side scribing Witnesses. of said piston, and communicating at the other side With the train-pipe While air is being dis- Witnesses:

HENRY F. BICKEL.

charged from the train-pipe at the engineers R. P. CONRAD, 10 valve; and a relatively small passage for com- I E. MGGARRAH. 

